Transparency, Trust, and Testing

To our Wonderland 222 community,

We want to share an important update about the paper we are using in our 2026 Wonderland 222 planners and notebooks by answering some frequently asked questions.

Will you use Sanzen Tomoe River Paper?

After months of research, testing, and reflection, we’ve made the decision not to use Sanzen Tomoe River paper for our 2026 lineup.  Although Sanzen served us beautifully in the past (2024 books – all formats, and 2025 A5 Undated books), wide spread concerns raised across the stationery community regarding recent quality issues other brands experienced with this paper had us nervous for the same fate in 2026. 

With our customers’ high standards, and our own, this was not a decision made lightly as we have been very happy with Sanzen Tomoe River paper in the past.

Many of you rely on your planners and notebooks not just for organization, but for the joy of writing: the perfect pen, the shimmer of an ink, the feel of paper that elevates the experience, or simply, for the love of Tomoe River paper. We understand this deeply because we feel the same way.

Rather than wait and hope the quality issues with Tomoe River paper by Sanzen were resolved, we took a proactive step. While we believe at this time, there is still no true replacement for the original legacy 52gsm Tomoe River paper by Tomoegawa (we are hoping Sanzen can perfect their process to get closer in the future), but there are alternatives that perform very well.

We sourced and tested papers from around the world, and one showed very promising results with most fountain pen inks, gel pens, and even watercolor. It maintains the lightweight feel and delicate texture you’ve come to expect from papers like 52gsm Tomoe River. But with that being said, no paper is perfect and with a change this significant, there’s always some risk.

What paper will be used in 2026?

We’ve gone back and forth with this question. As a small business, we’ve worked hard to create something unique, and part of that means protecting the details that set our brand apart.

In the end, we made the decision not to disclose the source at this time. Our priority has been to find a reliable, high-quality alternative to Sanzen Tomoe River paper.  We searched for a new paper that feels right in your hands and holds up to the tools you love using.

While the sourcing will remain confidential, we are committed to being open about how the paper performs.

How will it handle my favorite ink or pen?

Although we recently shared a small round of pen and ink tests, we are gathering suggestions directly from you and actively purchasing the inks and pens we don’t already have in the studio (This is the fun part for me as I can't wait to try many of your suggestions!).

Our goal is to create a more personalized, real-world overview of how our 2026 paper performs with the tools you actually use and love. While we may not be able to test every combination, we will do our best to cover as many as possible. Once we receive additional paper samples, we will share more detailed results to give you more clarity and information about specific pen and ink performance.

If your favorite pen or ink doesn’t love the new paper, we understand how disappointing that might feel. Our hope is that with the extensive pen and ink tests we share, and from the long list that work beautifully—you might discover a new pairing that still feels just as magical and keeps you excited to use your Wonderland 222 planners and notebooks.

Thank you for believing in us, for supporting small makers, and for allowing us to grow with care. This journey only works because of your feedback and your trust.

**Feel free to share your favorite inks and/or pens in the comments below and we will try to make sure we test them.

With gratitude,
Team Wonderland 222